Love Locks

When I was in Rome a couple months ago I came across a bunch of locks locked onto the Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge (pic above).  I was completely stumped about their significance but now I know.

From The Independent (UK)...

Over the past year, lovers from around the globe have come to add their own testimony of love, engraving their initials on the padlocks – be it a pretty pink bike lock or a heavy duty brick of steel – fastening it to the railings, and tossing the keys into the Seine in a declaration of undying love.

Love-locks started appearing in European cities in the early 2000s, and the original favoured Paris spot was the Pont des Arts, a footbridge crossing the Seine from the Louvre. In May 2010, Paris Town Hall expressed concern over the growing number of love-locks, saying: "they raise problems for the preservation of our architectural heritage". It's not only the Town Hall that expressed doubts; from time to time a dejected ex-lover has been seen desperately hacking at a padlock with a pair of pliers.

There has been no word yet from Town Hall, but they may be considering taking their cue from Moscow, which erected metal trees on its Luzhkov Bridge so couples would have a dedicated place to express their love.